Wonderland Bakery plans to open its second store before the holiday season.
It will be blowing out the candles on its own celebratory cake at a rather prestigious spot,South Coast Plaza.
The bakery, which will ring in its two-year anniversary at The Bluffs in Newport Beach this November, will open at the Macy’s Home Store on Nov. 1 with a bunch of new products, including plush and sparkly lunch totes that look like cupcakes, Christmas stockings, tea party sets, Wonderland Gund bears and aprons.
The bakery will also launch its Hot Tasty Clothing T-shirts with Wonderland characters and slogans, such as “every bite is enchanting.”
Wonderland is owned by mother-daughter team Sondra and Allyson Ames. Mom Sondra is the branding whiz. Allyson Ames, who just turned 22, bakes the goodies.
Sondra’s plan is to follow the Paul Frank model,have a few company stores but sell its products in other stores such as Nordstrom. She’s thinking New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Las Vegas for new Wonderland Bakeries. QVC also is calling.
Wonderland will replace Mac & Madi, a children’s boutique that opened at the South Coast Plaza in 2005. Mac & Madi still has its original location in San Clemente.
The Segerstroms, who are Wonderland customers, invited Wonderland to open at the center, according to the Ames. If the store is a hit, it could open a permanent location at the center.
Stores for the Sexes
Canali, an Italian menswear store, is coming to South Coast Plaza. George Clooney will be wearing Canali suits in the upcoming movie, “Michael Clayton.”
Founded by brothers Giovanni and Giacomo Canali in 1934, the company is now run by third-generation family members. The suits are handmade in Italy, where it makes 1,400 suits a day. The company’s closest store in the U.S. is on Rodeo Drive. It also has a store in Miami and New Jersey and about 25 worldwide.
For the women, Intermix, a New York-based women’s clothing store, will open soon at the center. Intermix sells a variety of designer lines including Stella McCartney, McQ by Alexander McQueen, Sass & Bide, Chloe and Kors by Michael Kors. This is its first California store.
Founded in 1993, Intermix has several locations in New York and just opened one on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles. It also has another West Coast store at the Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas.
Shoe Stoppers
Shoemaker John Lobb just opened in South Coast Plaza. John Lobb sells “made to measure” fitted shoes and boots. Shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti will appear at his store at South Coast Plaza on Oct. 18. Zanotti is known for his red carpet shoe designs that go for about $400 to $700.
Paris Is Coming to Newport Beach
Diabless, a Paris-based women’s clothing boutique, is coming to Newport Beach. Word is that the retailer is seeking a Fashion Island location. The chain, which has three stores in Paris, one in Los Angeles on Melrose Avenue and one set to open in New York, is described as edgy, feminine and flirty. Diabless plans to open four locations in the U.S. over the next year.
Gourmet Grand Opening
Gourmet grocer Dean & DeLuca is opening a 23,000-square-foot, two-level West Coast Flagship store near the Atrium Court at Fashion Island in fall 2009.
While fashion and groceries don’t appear to go together, Keith Eyrich, The Irvine Company’s retail properties president, looks at it this way: It’s food not groceries. In other words, it’s not as if Vons or Albertsons, which sell staples,milk, bread and butter,is opening there.
Dean & DeLuca sells gourmet fare, such as specialty cheeses such as garrotxa, carmody and smoky blue cheese. It also has a wide assortment of wines, caviar, truffles, dinnerware and glassware, Wagyu ribeye steaks and for the holidays, pumpkin whoopies.
Irvine Co. discovered Dean & DeLuca in the late 1980s in New York.
“We’ve always really liked them,” Eyrich said. But the company wasn’t expanding,until now.
What’s interesting about Dean & DeLuca is the merchandise is presented with in a “highly visible way,” he said.
The store also is customer focused, a big plus, Eyrich said.
Going to Camp
Lab Holding LLC, owners of The Lab and The Camp, has hired Ryan Aeh, project director, to head up acquisitions and new projects on the West Coast. Aeh was previously director of acquisitions for the Seal Beach-based Olson Co.
Auto Show Entertainment
The Orange County Auto Show, which runs Thursday to Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center, has a few new things lined up this year to entertain. The IGX Video Game Arena, produced by Interactive Game Experience, will feature a gaming area with Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox games. “Guitar Hero” will be one of the Sony games that attendees can play.
Another new attraction,finding a date among the cars. The 8minuteDating company is hosting a speed-dating game Thursday and Friday, from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Eleven new concept cars will be introduced at the show, including a Chevrolet Camaro convertible, Lincoln MKR, Saab Aero X, Suzuki Flix and a Ford Shelby GR-1.
The Orange County Automobile Dealers Association and the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association own the show. Motor Trend Auto Shows Inc. produces it.
